UAFS Honors Amazing Graze, Yeager Ace Hardware
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith recognized 10 businesses and community leaders at its third annual Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Awards
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith honored 10 businesses and community leaders at its third annual Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards ceremony on Nov. 5 in The Bakery District. Amazing Graze was named Small Business of the Year, Yeager Ace Hardware received Family Business of the Year, and Rick Griffin received the Legacy Champion Award.
Why it matters
The awards are part of the UAFS Center for Economic Development's efforts to support entrepreneurship, family-owned businesses and workforce development across the Fort Smith area and the broader region. Recognizing local firms highlights the role of family and small enterprises in the regional economy.
The awards went to 10 honorees chosen from more than 80 nominations reviewed by an awards committee. Amazing Graze began selling cheeseboards in 2019, and Yeager Ace Hardware, founded in Van Buren in 1959, operates five stores.
The players
University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
A public university in Fort Smith, Arkansas, whose Center for Economic Development hosts regional business programs and awards.
Amazing Graze
A Fort Smith business that began selling cheeseboards in 2019 and was named Small Business of the Year.
Yeager Ace Hardware
A hardware retailer founded in Van Buren in 1959 that operates five stores and was named Family Business of the Year.
The details
The ceremony was hosted by the UAFS Center for Economic Development, which operates four centers offering business consulting, professional training, family enterprise resources and nonprofit support. Honorees were recognized for innovation, growth and leadership, and Dave Robertson received special recognition as former director of the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center.
Timeline
1959: Yeager Ace Hardware is founded in Van Buren by Ernest Yeager.
1980: Rick Griffin joins his father's construction company.
Nov. 5, 2026: The Excellence in Family and Small Business Awards ceremony is held in The Bakery District.
Legal Context
The awards continue the UAFS Center for Economic Development's regional program supporting family-owned and small businesses, which the center runs through its four service centers. The recognition follows the center's established pattern of spotlighting local enterprises in the Arkansas River Valley.
Residents who shop at or work with the honored businesses can see local firms recognized for growth and community contributions. Families running small enterprises in Fort Smith have a regional model of family-business leadership to consider.
The takeaway
Local family and small businesses remain a steady foundation for the Fort Smith economy, and recognition programs like these make their contributions visible. Readers interested in starting or growing a small business can look to regional centers that offer consulting and training.
Further reading
For more local honors, see the Awards section covering Fort Smith recognitions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Rivervalleydemocratgazette.
